Picture Perfect
by possum feet
Summary: Nick/Sara
1. Chapter 1

Picture Perfect  
  
Rating: G  
  
Romance (Fluff!)  
  
Pairing: N/S  
  
Disclaimer: One day I shall own them, but until then- please don't sue!!!  
  
Thanks: For everyone who reviewed and thank you Anti Darth Ani for taking the time to point out some of my mistakes- I hope I've corrected them all now.  
  
ANI haven't written (and posted) anything for a while, and I think it's about time I write another N/S fic. Please review, and check out some of my other fics :0) PS Hope you enjoy!  
  
Picture Perfect 1/1  
  
"Hold still."  
  
"I've been holding still for the last two hours," she moaned.  
  
"So you should have got the hang of it by now. Sara, just stay still! I'm nearly finished, I promise," he pleaded.  
  
"My mouth hurts from smiling!"  
  
"That's because it's not use to it," Nick joked.  
  
"And what's that suppose to mean!"  
  
"It means you look more beautiful when you do, which means you should smile more often." He could see slight colour rising in her checks; he laughed at the thought that he could have that affect on her. "Besides it takes less effort to smile than it does to frown."  
  
"I'll remember that next time someone pisses me off!" She joked. "Are you done now?"  
  
"Wait.........just.........a moment. There." He added the last few pencil strokes, sat back and admired his work.  
  
Sara relaxed her check muscles and sighed with relief. She got up quickly from his leather couch, and got the sudden shock of pins-and-needles all up the right side of her leg on which she had been leaning on.  
  
"My new trousers are all creased now," she muttered while trying to smooth out the folds in the white fabric.  
  
Nick looked up from his picture and admired Sara. She was still fusing over the new clothes he had brought her for the portrait. He had insisted on buying them for her as a thank you and as an early birthday present.  
  
Her feet were bare and she wore flowing, white trousers with a loose, brown leather belt. Her tank top was silk and in a flattering colour of soft pink. Nick had insisted that she wore her hair down and in soft curls. To finish it all off Sara wore a simple, diamond necklace, which her mother and father had given to her the day she graduated from university.  
  
"Can I have a look then?"  
  
Nick jumped when he realised that she had moved round behind him.  
  
"Um- yeah, of course."  
  
She peered over his shoulder and kept silent more a minute. "It's........." she was lost for words. "Perfect. The colour and the......... you made me look beautiful," Sara whispered.  
  
"I only drew what I saw."  
  
Nick turned to look in to her eyes and saw a small tear fall down her check. She looked away and put distance between them before turning back round and facing him.  
  
"Remind me why you wanted to draw me?"  
  
"My art teacher said that we should draw something stunning, something close to our hearts and that we admire."  
  
She blushed again and tried to turn the attention away from her. "How......... how long did you say that you've been drawing?"  
  
"Oh, forever, but I've only recently started having lessons." He stood up and walked over to her. "So, do you approve?"  
  
"Very much so. You're good at what you do. You have a natural talent, I think."  
  
"Do you mind if I keep that picture for myself and present another one at class next Wednesday?"  
  
She smiled before answering, "Don't know why you would want to keep a picture of me!"  
  
"You're more beautiful than you think Sara."  
  
"I'll believe that when I see it," she mocked.  
  
"Just look in a mirror then!"  
  
"Ha-ha, very funny Nicky."  
  
She gently pushed him and he dramatically feel over, on to the sofa. He started to whimper, while Sara laughed at him.  
  
"Get up."  
  
She stretched out a hand to help him, but before she knew it, he had pulled her down on top of him. Her body rested on top of his own and their faces were only a few inches apart. She tried to get up, but he wrapped his arms around her waist making it impossible.  
  
She gave up and sighed, "You know this is probably putting new creases into my clothes."  
  
"Oh nooooo," Nick mocked. She hit him lightly on the arm. "That's the kind of behaviour that got us here."  
  
"Yeah, but who's keeping me here?"  
  
"What can I say, I like you in my arms." She couldn't resist but smile. "Besides, you belong here."  
  
She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, when the motion of his hand combing through her hair made her pause.  
  
She chucked slightly and looked at him, "Anyone would have thought that you were trying to seduce me or something."  
  
"Trying?"  
  
His fingers now traced invisible lines on her face while his other hand kept her body flush to his. Their eyes locked just as his fingers ran along her lips. She moaned slightly and he smiled at her reaction.  
  
"So," she murmured against his fingers. "Are you going to kiss me or just tease me?"  
  
He chuckled before he brought his lips to hers.  
  
"Enough said I think," he whispered before claiming her.  
  
TBC......... 


	2. Chapter 2

Picture Perfect  
  
Rating: G  
  
Romance (Fluff!)  
  
Pairing: N/S  
  
Disclaimer: One day I shall own them, but until then- please don't sue!!!  
  
Thanks to: sarasidle3, Sweet Jorja, orangebronco, Anti Darth Ani, SistaSouljah, krisnina77, bubblecat and MissyJane. Also thank you sarasidle3 for giving me the idea and support to write another chapter. And thanks Bex for beta-ing.  
  
ANI wasn't going to write another chapter- but since asked, I though 'why not!'. Sorry it took so long to write, but I got there eventually! R&R and enjoy :0)  
  
PS. This is written about a year in to Nick and Sara's relationship.  
  
Picture Perfect 2/3  
  
"That's good. Now very lightly smudge the colours together, make sure your fingers are clean first though. Careful. Good, see you're a natural!" Nick commended.  
  
Sara sat back and looked at her work.  
  
It had taken Nick three months to persuade her to do a picture of her own, and another two months for her to find something she wanted to draw. It had taken a lot of effort on Nick's part, and she loved him for persisting.  
  
The scenery was very different to the one in which Nick had drawn her a year ago. They had driven out to the desert a few nights before on a case, and it was then that Sara had found a small, lonesome flower growing in the sea of sand. She didn't know what it was that had inspired her to take up the pastels and capture it on paper, but it had. The happy couple had driven out to the same spot in the morning of their day off.  
  
Sara was overwhelmed with pride for her picture of the small, purple flower and she was grateful to Nick for sitting by her, helping her to complete the drawing.  
  
"I think it's missing something," he said suddenly.  
  
She was, for an instant, hurt by the comment. As she thought it was a great accomplishment for her first picture.  
  
"What?" She asked defensively.  
  
"Your signature," he whispered.  
  
She laughed and picked up a pencil for the task.  
  
"Where should I sign?"  
  
"Bottom, left hand corner." She did so. "And date it......... there, perfect!"  
  
"Like you!"  
  
"Charmer. Come on," he said while packing up. "There is somewhere we need to be."  
  
"Oh, where?"  
  
"Come on!"  
  
They had driven back to the city, all the way Sara bugging Nick about where they were heading. Now they turned off into a small, down town street. It was lined on either side with garages that Sara presumed were for storage. Nick parked on the curb in front of one with a blue door.  
  
"Why are we here?" Sara asked.  
  
"You'll see."  
  
Nick jumped out of the car, Sara following the action. Curiosity now gripped her and the only thing she concentrated on is what may lie on the other side of that blue door.  
  
Nick handed her a silver key and instinctively she knew where it belonged. Carefully she put the key in the lock of the door and turned it. There was a satisfying 'click' as the door unlocked. She looked back at her boyfriend briefly before opening the door.  
  
The room was gloomy and she felt around for a light switch. Once she found it, the room was illuminated in a dim glow. In front of her were large, grey shelves. They were packed full of boxes and odds and ends. She walked over to the closest and reached out to touch an old, dusted book.  
  
"Not here," Nick hummed lowly. "At the back."  
  
Sara turned round with puzzled eyes, but when she received no answer to her silent question, she complied with Nick's instruction. Silently, she walked to the back off the room. Once the shelves had stopped she reached the back wall and found another door – this time a pale rose colour.  
  
Nick handed her a second silver key, which she open the door with. Another 'click' and she was in.  
  
Through the door lay a smallish room. Nick tapped a switch, which flooded the room with light. The walls were whitewashed and the floor had a clean, wooden finish to it. Unlike the other room, there were no shelves. On the floor there were pictures.  
  
Some were stored in open boxes, while others were rapped lovingly in old newspaper, and some had even been hung on the walls.  
  
"Are these all painted by you?" Sara whispered, as if she feared that she would somehow disturb the picture if she spoke too loud.  
  
"Yes," Nick answered.  
  
She crouched down by the nearest picture and viewed it. She drunk in the image, memorised by it. It showed a woman holding a newly born baby. It was drawn in chalk and used soft, pastel colours. In the bottom, left hand corner was Nick's signer and dated two years old.  
  
"That's one of my sister's, Janie. She was only 26 when I painted that and had just married Henry. That's their first child, Luke. He's now 2 and they have another baby girl, Teresa."  
  
Sara nodded, then crawled to the next picture. It showed Las Vegas at night. It's lights glowing in the picture painted in watercolour. The dark colours and the bright lights all seemed very surreal. She pulled back the canvas to reveal another picture. This time it showed the desert at night, stars in the sky and a silvery moon.  
  
"I had wondered what happened to all your paintings. Why are you only showing me this now?"  
  
He shrugged before replying, "I wanted the first time you saw this to be special."  
  
She presumed he meant by 'special', the first time she had done her own picture.  
  
Sara walked over to a box and looked through the pictures held within. Each one she took her time over examining and admiring. Some of them Nick would explain:  
  
"That one was painted when I was back in Texas, it's of one of my sister's horse ranchers. And that one is of one of my friend's gardens; I just loved the colour of the flowers and had to paint them. And that one is of a butterfly I found once; it had died on my windowsill and it was so beautiful I had to draw it."  
  
She looked through box after box of pictures. Each one had a story behind them and revealed something about Nick.  
  
Eventually she stood up after getting leg cramp. So she admired the pictures on the wall. As she was looking at them she noticed a familiar one.  
  
She walked over to it, and noticed Nick blush slightly. It was the one that he had painted of her a year or so ago.  
  
"I thought you had to hand your picture in to your teacher?"  
  
"Um- I did. Only I couldn't separate from it, so I handed another one in," he was blushing brighter. "You don't mind do you?"  
  
Sara let out a laugh and kissed him on the check.  
  
"No!" She giggled.  
  
"Oh, good," he sighed. "There's one picture left I'd like to show you." He pointed at her feet.  
  
Sara looked down and noticed for the first time another picture. Unlike all the others, this one was drawn on – what looked like – just some random paper that Nick had lying around. It was of a person, someone Sara recognised instantly. She was drawn in black chalk, just the out lines of her features were shown, no shading or colour.  
  
"When did you-"  
  
"A week ago. When you were a sleep. The light was shinning through my curtains and I couldn't resist drawing you as you slept so peacefully. And then I thought I want to be with you every day when I wake up and I want us to share the same bed every night. I want to be with you, Sara, every day of your life. Not missing a thing." He got down on one knee and looked up at her. He pulled out a small, black box from his pocket, tears welling up in her eye when she knew what was about to come. "Sara Sidle, will you marry me?"  
  
She didn't even hesitate when she said yes.  
  
TBC......... One last chapter I think- an epilogue. 


	3. Chapter 3

Picture Perfect  
  
Rating: G  
  
Romance (Fluff!)  
  
Pairing: N/S  
  
Disclaimer: One day I shall own them, but until then- please don't sue!!!  
  
ANSorry, this chapter took longer than expected to write. It's also not at it's best as I'm trying to write this the day before I go on holiday- I might touch it up though when I come back (I did have time to get it beta- ed, sorry). It's shorter than the others, but I like to think of it as 'short and sweet'. Please R&R and enjoy :0)  
  
Picture Perfect 3/3 –Epilogue  
  
She looked in the mirror.  
  
The woman in front of her was stunning. Her hair was softly curled with a thin, silver tiara resting on top. She wore a silk, white dress. The upper part was decorated with a gentle pattern while the back of it was laced criss-crossed. And the bottom 'skirt' part cascaded onto the red floor beneath her silver shoes.  
  
She couldn't believe this was happening, and to all people- her.  
  
"You look beautiful Sara."  
  
"Thanks mum."  
  
"Though you're forgetting something. Something old-"The woman reached into her black handbag and pulled out a simple, silver chain. She helped her daughter put it on. Her hazel eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I wore this on my wedding day to," she explained.  
  
"Something new."  
  
The maid of honour stepped forward. In her hands was a silver bracelet. The edges were encrusted with diamonds. It glissaded in the bright light.  
  
"Oh! Thank you Catharine," Sara whispered.  
  
"Something borrowed."  
  
Lindsey stepped forward this time; she too looked beautiful in her bridesmaid dress. In her hand was a white hair slide. It was adorned with a white flower. The child gently slid the slide into Sara's brown locks.  
  
"And something blue."  
  
Amy, one of Nick's many nieces, walked up to Sara. She held one blue sock. Sara tried to stop from laughing, but it was too much, the little girl joined into.  
  
"Sorry," Catharine apologised. "We ran out ideas."  
  
Once Sara had changed her white sock for the blue one, she looked back in the mirror.  
  
"Perfect," her mother exclaimed.  
  
He looked in the mirror.  
  
In front of him was a hansom man. He wore a black tux and a grey tie. He had polished his shoes extra hard so that now he could see his face in them. They shinned beneath the red floor.  
  
He couldn't believe this was happening, and to all people- him.  
  
"You're gonna make me proud son," his dad praised in his Texan accent.  
  
"Thanks dad."  
  
"Though you're missing something," his soon to be father in law stated.  
  
Nick's dad handed him two cufflinks. They were silver and in the middle dusted with diamonds. As he helped attach them, his eyes glazed over as he explained, "I wore them on my wedding day to son, just like my dad, and his dad before him."  
  
"And here," Mr Sidle handed him a white roes and pinned it on to his tuxedo.  
  
"Perfect," Nick's father exclaimed.  
  
The music had started.  
  
'This is it,' Nick thought.  
  
Everyone in the church roes from their seats and turned towards the door. He breathed deeply as the procession started. Amy and Lindsey walked down first; the rest was a blur to anxiety until he saw her. She was......... perfect.  
  
Everything else seemed to disappear and all the fear went with it. Right then, in that moment, he knew that this was right.  
  
When she came level with him, he saw the same reassurance in her eyes to.  
  
"You look too beautiful for words," he proclaimed. "This whole day will be just as beautiful as you."  
  
"Perhaps when it's over, I could paint you a picture of it."  
  
THE END......... and they all lived happily ever after! 


End file.
